View Full Version : Lets talk cardio....
Doesnt it suck how fast you lose cardiovascular fitness? A little over a year ago i could hold a 20mph avg for over 30miles on a road bike. Now i cant even run 2 miles without wanting to throw up.
So my quest for cardio fitness has begun. Partly due to the fact that i'm stuck at 12% bodyfat (at 210lbs) and i want sub 10%..so i need to start doing cardio. Its also partly due to me applying to be a Texas DPS officer trainee (which i desperately want to make the cut)
So i've started doing intervals, 300yd shuttles, and 1.5mile runs.
What do you fellas do for your cardio workouts?
dookie1481
10-12-10, 09:59
Cardio fitness actually detrains slower than many other qualities (strength, speed-strength, etc.). Once you get to a point you want to get to, it doesn't take much to maintain.
What event specifically are you training for?
1.5 mile run. I want to run it in 9:30min. Not super fast, but pretty respectable i think.
Especially for a guy that loves lifting weights and HATES running (love road cycling though).
Road bike cycling/time trialing racing is my form of cardio. I love the aerodynamic aspect of time trialing. Tough ass sport but love the toys/equipment/research/training involved. Just been at it for about a year and new to the sport, and I enjoy going faster each time out. I can avg about 22-23mph for a flat short course, but obviously throw some hills in and it'll be different....more like 20-21mph avg. Never liked cardio but love cycling so I've found my new passion. Been weight training since I was young. Have a 100-mile charity ride in a couple of weeks so that'll be fun and interesting. I'm more of a power/explosive/bodybuilder guy but this is all a good mix...probably about 10 lbs lighter now at 163lbs and about 6-7%bf.
Just a pic from start of my last 10 mile time trial race couple months back.
http://healthbydon.com/cerveloTTsmaller.jpg
NICE cervelo! How do you like those sram wheels?
My last bike was a lowly Allez elite that i built up with Sram Rival (which was awesome). I would love to get into cyclocross. But my toy fund gets spent on firearms these days...
We have an elliptical trainer at home that I use. I just started back up last week. Amazing how adding a son can change your life and make it hard to get back to working out. But I have carved that time back now, and am intent on losing some of this gut.
Von Rheydt
10-13-10, 11:33
5 mile trot in the morning.
Bolt_Overide
10-14-10, 05:06
Eliptical is about all my worn out knees can handle anymore. You have to work a bit harder to get good results, but I usally watch the news while doing it, so the workout is less painful than the distraction.
Here is our typical weekly work out schedule. Occasionally some CrossFit will be mixed in as well.
Monday: individual PT (usually gym session)
Tuesday: calisthenics, pull ups, crunches, 3-6 mile run followed by gym session
Wednesday: boots and utes at the football field/track. With several drills including, but not limited to, multiple laps around the track with or without ammo cans, sprints, 30lb ammo can lifts, lunges w/kettle balls or ammo cans, going up and down the bleachers, push ups, firemans' carry's, star jumpers, low crawling, buddy squats, hanging guard sit ups, chinese sit ups, buddy crunches, axe chops with 20lb kettle balls, etc, etc...These are set up as stations with groups of 2 rotating so there is no rest in between. This will break you off.
Thursday: calisthenics, pull ups, crunches, 3-6 mile run followed by gym session
Friday: 20-25 mile bike ride with an average speed of 15mph over varying terrain.
PT test for TX DPS is scheduled Nov 16....time for the final push in the cardio fitness...
NICE cervelo! How do you like those sram wheels?
My last bike was a lowly Allez elite that i built up with Sram Rival (which was awesome). I would love to get into cyclocross. But my toy fund gets spent on firearms these days...
Thanks! The SRAM S80's are great for flats and rolling hills, but heavy for any hills above 4-5% gradient. I've since sold the rear S80 wheel and am running a Mavic Ksyrium Elite rear wheel with a wheelbuilder disc cover. Even faster for flats but I was crazy enough to do a charity century ride last Saturday on that setup. Killed me on climbs but I was hauling and flying by people on descents and flats.
And same here, the firearms fund is taking main focus first right now. ;)
Well i ended up running an 11:27 1.5mile. The crappy part was my shoes came untied TWICE. I know that cost me 30secs atleast.
I know i can run it under 11. I think i'll retest if i dont make the jan. academy.
I hate cardio but I have been running a mile after each work out
for the past month Ill bump it up to 1.5 in dec .
like I said I hate cardio
If you're intent on increasing your cardio fitness there's a lot of different things to do. However, the only way to get faster at running is to run with goals in mind.
A lot of the great fitness minds out there will express that interval training is the best way to increase your cardio fitness and make you faster. I'll agree with them. CrossFit is a great way to increase your overall fitness but to lower run times you need to RUN, and you need to focus on running FASTER. It sounds dumb but going out for the ol' 5mile morning shuffle is going to stay just that... the 5 mile shuffle, but you'll be able to do it with less and less effort.
Do a search on interval training... lots of good info and good workouts out there.
Buy a heart rate monitor.
It doesn't need to be an expensive one but its good to be able to set upper and lower limits to a target zone. Training cardio is best done just below your anaerobic threshold; a h.r.m. will show you where you're at and let you train to the goal.
Working out things like your max h.r. and roughly where your anaerobic threshold is aren't rocket science, you can get into details but you dont need a sports science degree to use a h.r.m. effectively.
I like the Polar range, always found them concise and the easiest to use: www.polar.fi
If you're intent on increasing your cardio fitness there's a lot of different things to do. However, the only way to get faster at running is to run with goals in mind.
A lot of the great fitness minds out there will express that interval training is the best way to increase your cardio fitness and make you faster. I'll agree with them. CrossFit is a great way to increase your overall fitness but to lower run times you need to RUN, and you need to focus on running FASTER. It sounds dumb but going out for the ol' 5mile morning shuffle is going to stay just that... the 5 mile shuffle, but you'll be able to do it with less and less effort.
Do a search on interval training... lots of good info and good workouts out there.
Ya i've been doing intervals ( i do know what i'm doing i was a Sports/Fitness major).
I have to disagree with you on the crossfit, in my OPINION crossfit is one step above garbage. I get my cardio when i do cardio, i lift when i lift. I dont agree with trying to do both at the same time...
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